Crystal applicator

ABSTRACT

AN APPLICATOR TOOL FOR PLACING A NON-CIRCULAR CRYSTAL INTO A CORRESPONDINGLY SHAPED BEZEL OPENING FORMED IN A WATCH CASE COMPRISES LOCATING MEANS ADAPTED TO COOPERATE WITH A PORTION OF THE WATCH CASE TO PROPERLY AND ACCURATELY LOCATE THE CRYSTAL RELATIVE TO THE BEZEL OPENING.

Feb. 9, 1971 FISCHER CRYSTAL APPLICATOR Filed July 5, 1968 United States Paten 3,561,089 CRYSTAL APPLICATOR Ludwig Fischer, Waterbury, Conn., assignor to Benrus Watch Company, Inc., Ridgefield, Conn., a corporation of New York Filed July 5, 1968, Ser. No. 742,769 1 Int. Cl. B23p 19/04; B23g 17/00 US. Cl. 29--210 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to an applicator tool and particularly to a tool for placing a non-circular crystal into a bezel opening formed in the watch case.

Most watch crystals today are formed of plastic, and are installed into bezel openings in watch cases by being radially compressed by an appropriate tool, inserted into the bezel opening, and then released, the crystal resiliently springing out into engagement with the bezel surface. In the most common type of Watch designs, in which the crystal and dial are circular, there is little difilculty in placing the crystal into the bezel opening because there is no need for rotational orientation of the crystal relative to the bezel. However, in watches having non-circular crystals, and thus correspondingly non-circular bezel openings, it is of great importance that the crystal be precisely rotationally oriented relative to the bezel opening; if that is not done, the crystal will not enter the opening. Thus, assembly of crystal to case under these circumstances is difilcult and time consuming, and hence costly. Such precise alignment between the non-circular crystal and its mating bezel surface has heretofore been difiicult to achieve, thereby limiting the production and sale of Wristwatches having such a non-circular crystal.

There is, therefore, a significant need for an applicator tool for inserting a non-circular crystal into its corresponding bezel opening, which is simple both in construction and manner of use, and which is also inexpensive and reliable.

It is a general object of this invention to provide an applicator tool which effectively and accurately places a non-circular crystal into its bezel opening.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an applicator tool which ensures that the non-circular crystal will be readily positioned in its bezel opening.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an applicator tool of this type which is easy to operate, which is reliable and inexpensive, and which ensures repeated correct placements of non-circular crystals within their respective bezel openings.

In accordance with the present invention, an applicator tool is provided which comprises a member adapted to grasp a portion of the non-circular surface of the crystal, said grasping member having operatively and fixedly connected thereto locating means which extend from the grasping member, and which are adapted to engage a portion of the watch case, thereby to properly locate the grasping member, and hence the crystal carried thereby, relative to a bezel opening formed in the watch case.

In the embodiment of the crystal applicator tool as herein specifically described, the locating means com- 3,561,089 Patented Feb. 9, 1971 prises a pair of protrusions in the form of accurately spaced pins which extend from the surface of the grasping member, and which are adapted to engage the lug portion of the Watch case so as to locate the crystal with respect to the bezel as described above.

To the accomplishment of the above, and to such other objects as may hereinafter appear, the present invention relates to the construction of a crystal applicator tool as defined in the appended claims and as described in this specification, taken together with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the applicator tool of this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the grasping member of the tool of FIG. 1 shown grasping a non-circular watch crystal; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIG. 2.

The crystal applicator tool 10 of the present invention comprises a grasping member 12 in the form of a split oval-shaped resilient ring 14, the area circumscribed by ring '14 corresponding in both shape and size to the shape and size of a watch crystal 16 which is to be used therewith. That crystal 16 is to be inserted into an opening in a watch case defined by a bezel surface 18. The grasping member 12 carries on its surface locating means in the form of a pair of spaced pins 20 and 22 which are fixedly connected to ring =14 and project therefrom substantially perpendicular to the plane of ring 14. Pins 20 and 22 are adapted to engage a portion of a watch case 17, thereby to properly locate crystal 16' with respect to the bezel opening defined by bezel surface 18.

The construction of the crystal and bezel surface shown in FIG. 3, is described more fully in my copending application entitled Watertight Watch Case With Oval Crystal, Ser. No. 742,768 and assigned to the same assignee as the present application, filed on even date herewith, and therefore will be only generally described herein.

The split ring 14 defines a pair of spaced end portions 26 and 28 to which elongated arms 30 and 32 are respectively connected by means of securing pins 34. Arms 30 and 32 are pivotably connected to one another at a fulcrum point defined by a pin 36. In this manner arms 30 and 32 may be pivoted toward and then away from one another so as to bring end portions 26 and 28 toward and then away from one another.

In operation, the end portions 26 and 28 of grasping member 12 are moved away from one another by moving arms 30 and 3-2 away from one another. The grasping member 12 is then placed around the upper grasping surface 38 of crystal '16, and the arms 30* and 32 are moved toward one another to bring end portions 26 and 28 towards one another into secure engagement with surface 38, thereby to firmly enclose crystal 16 within ring 14. The resiliency of grasping member 12 may assist this operation. The crystal 16, now carried by tool 10, is then placed in registry with the opening defined by the bezel surface 18. This registry, which is critical to the proper portioning of crystal 16 within the bezel opening, is obtained according to this invention by pins 20 and 22 engaging the inner facing surfaces of a pair of lugs 40 and 42 extending from watch case 17, lugs 40 and 42 being those commonly found on watch cases for purposes of securing thereto a wrist band or bracelet.

The spacing between pins 20 and 22 is accurately predetermined to correspond to the spacing between the facing surfaces of lugs 40 and 42. Once pins 20 and 22 are placed in engagement with the facing surfaces of lugs 40 and 42, as seen best in FIG. 2, the proper positioning, including rotational alignment, of crystal 16 with respect to the bezel opening is then assured. Arms 30 and 32 are then moved further toward one another so as to compress grasping surface 38 and crystal 16, thereby urging a peripheral flange 44 of crystal 16 inwardly to permit crystal 16 to pass into and be received in the bezel opening. Arms 30 and 32 are then moved away from one another to release the compressive force on grasping surface 38, thereby to permit flange 44 to expand radially outwardly into engagement with bezel surface 18. In the form here specifically disclosed for purposes of exemplary illustration, this causes a sealing ring 46, carried in an annular groove 48 formed in flange 44, to be compressed between crystal 16 and bezel surface 18 in a manner more completely described in my aforementioned copending application. The crystal 16 is at that point properly and securely inserted within the bezel, and the tool 10, no longer firmly gripping the crystal '16, is disengaged therefrom.

It will be understood that the locating means defined by pins 20 and 22 can be also utilized to engage the surfaces of a single lug carried by watch case 17 in which the spacing between the pins corresponds to the width of that single lug. The spacing between the locating pins 20 and 22 can be readily varied so as to be adapted for use with substantially any form of watch case, engaging a portion of that watch case in the manner described above to provide the proper, precise positioning of the non-circular crystal relative to the bezel opening.

It will be understood that the details of the single embodiment of the present invention herein specifically disclosed can be widely varied all without departing from the present invention and that therefore the essential features of the invention are understood to be as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. An applicator tool for placing a watch crystal having a non-circular peripheral surface into a non-circular bezel opening in a Watch case, said tool comprising a crystal-grasping membrane, means operatively connected thereto for compressing and releasing a crystal grasped thereby, and locating means fixedly operatively connected to said grasping member, extending therefrom, and adapted to engage a selected portion of said watch case, thereby to properly locate said crystal-grasping member relative to said bezel opening.

2. The tool of claim 1 in which said locating means comprises a pair of protrusions spaced from one another by a predetermined distance.

3. The tool of claim 2 in which said protrusions are mounted directly on and extend from said grasping member.

4. The tool of claim 3 in which said protrusions extend substantially perpendicularly from said grasping member.

5. In combination with the tool of claim 4, a watch case having lug structure at an end thereof, said lug structure having a pair of surfaces spaced from one another by said predetermined distance, said protrusions engaging said surfaces and thereby positioning said crystal-grasping member relative to said bezel opening.

6. In combination with the tool of claim 3, a watch case having lug structure at an end thereof, said lug structure having a pair of surfaces spaced from one another by said predetermined distance, said protrusions engaging said surfaces and thereby positioning said crystal-grasping member relative to said bezel opening.

7. In combination with the tool of claim 2, a watch case having lug structure at an end thereof, said lug structure having a pair of surfaces spaced from one another by said predetermined distance, said protrusions engaging said surfaces and thereby positioning said crystalgrasping member relative to said bezel opening.

8. In combination with the tool of claim 4, a watch case having structure at an end thereof, said structure having a pair of surfaces spaced from one another by said predetermined distance, said protrusions engaging said surfaces and thereby positioning said crystal-grasp ing member relative to said bezel opening.

9. In combination with the tool of claim 3, a watch case having structure at an end thereof, said structure having a pair of surfaces spaced from one another by said predetermined distance, said protrusions engaging said surfaces and thereby positioning said crystal-grasping member relative to said bezel opening.

10. In combination with the tool of claim 2, a watch case having structure at an end thereof, said structure having a pair of surfaces spaced from one another by said predetermined distance, said protrusions engaging said surfaces and thereby positioning said crystal-grasping member relative to said bezel opening.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,991,545 7/1961 Wuischpard 29-210 3,013,330 12/1961 Schaeren et a1. 29-210 THOMAS H. EAG'ER, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 29-407 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3 561 O89 Dated February 9 1971 Inventor(s) Ludwlg F15 r It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

In the heading to the printed specification, lines 3 to "Benrus Watch Company, Inc. Ridgefield, Conn. a corporation of New York" should read Benrus Corporation, Ridgefield, Conn. a corporation of Delaware Signed and sealed this 17th day of August 1971.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR. Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents FORM pomso (0-69) uscoMM-oc 00316- i ".5, GOVEIMIIENY 'IINYING OFFICE Q. 0-3l 

